1.2. Design curriculum and training programs to meet current and future societal needs

Identifying the needs and interests of our students and of the society we serve is critical to the development and continuous improvement the professional DVM curriculum. Our veterinary graduates and veterinary scientist trainees (MS/PhD students) must not only be well qualified, but in-tune with societal demands and changing priorities, in order to advance the profession and lead in the discovery of new knowledge and its practical application to animal, human or environmental health.

a. Identify needs and interests of students and society and develop educational programs to meet those needs.

h. Regularly evaluate and improve curriculum to ensure that it produces the desired results.

Current Actions

Promoting Public Health Career Opportunities
The Veterinary Public Health Organization and SAVMA student clubs sponsored a lunch talk by alumnus Robyn Stoddard, DVM, Ph.D., currently working at CDC in the Zoonoses and Select Agent Laboratory-Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch. Dr. Stoddard’s talk “Careers in Public Health for Veterinarians” was attend by 40 students, faculty and staff who shared her pathway, and that of her colleagues, to public health careers.

Leadership Training for Global HealthMPVM Today – the program’s newsletter(pdf), features current activities, participants and updates related to the Masters in Preventive Veterinary Medicine who’s program mission promotes Educating Future Leaders in Veterinary Population Health. Admissions for Next Year’s Class Is OPEN NOW.

Supporting Resident Research
The Center for Companion Animal Research (CCAH) and the Center for Equine Health (CEH) both support resident research opportunities. Last year CCAH provided $40,421 to fund nine projects and CEH provided $5,800 for one project. CEH has already provided $10,800 to fund two resident projects and CCAH is soliciting proposal for funding.

Advanced Training Programs
Fourteen STAR (Students Training in Advanced Research) students who received their funding through NIH gave presentations in mid-August on topics ranging from encephalitis, salmonella, spermatozoal health of stallion sperm, quantitative MRI of equine joint cartilage, and much more.

Preparing Students for Success
Through communication labs, mock interviews, salary negotiation sessions and business case studies, students in Vet 440 learn and practice business skills for success in practice or other professional endeavors.

Considering Grading Approaches
Faculty, staff and students participated in the town-hall meeting 1/30 on pass/fail grading vs. tiered grading. Always considering the best educational approaches, the school's Curriculum Committee facilitated the session which included faculty speakers and invited colleagues from the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine to share their approach and experience.

Exploring CDC Career Opportunities The school supported ten students and two faculty members who traveled to CDC in Atlanta, GA in January to attend "Veterinary Student Day 2017: The Secret Life of Pets and Vets." The program exposed students to career opportunities with the government in: emerging diseases, global health, migration and health, and more.

Promoting Student Leadership Members of the new student Fracture Club, the Student Chapter of Women's Vet Leadership Development Initiative and the new Class of 2020 officers met with Dean Lairmore on January 12th for an informal discussion over coffee. The students shared their club missions and activity plans, promoting a lively discussion.

Annual STARS in Science Day Forty-eight students presented their summer research projects at the annual Students Training in Advanced Research (STAR) poster session and TG event on Friday, 8/26. The program offers funding opportunities on a competitive basis to veterinary students to experience veterinary and biomedical research during the summer months.

Students Addressing Societal Needs The Mercer Vet Clinic for the Pets of the Homeless opened their new facility in Sacramento recently; now known as the "Tom Kendall Teaching Clinic." This volunteer clinic, started in 1992 by our students, addresses a critical societal need, provides students a real world learning experience and honors a long-time colleague for his commitment to both the clinic and teaching students.

Supporting Future Academic Leaders
The Center for Companion Animal Health has provided donor funded resident grant support for more than 50 projects since 2010. This past year, 13 grants totaling $50,000 were funded on topics such as nutrition, oncology, imaging, pharmacokinetics and more. Learning best practices in clinical research is a critical part of training these future academic leaders.

Refining the DVM Curriculum - The faculty teaching satisfaction survey conducted last February gathered faculty input critical to the on-going design and refinement of the curriculum. Using the survey information, five "Hosted Faculty Discussions" have been conducted so far to establish priorities, address the 20 Contact Hour limit guiding principle, and explore how entry level veterinary training should be determined. Future topics include: student use of out-of-class time, and faculty workload issues and time management. These discussions will continue into the Fall and are providing valuable feedback for further refinement efforts.

Veterinary Students Explore Research - Forty-three students prepared and presented posters on their Students Training in Advanced Research (STAR) research projects at the STARS IN SCIENCE event. The STAR program provides funding opportunities on a competitive basis to veterinary students to experience veterinary and biomedical research in an established laboratory during the summer months. Projects covered a wide range of topics including Equine West Nile Virus, Feline Coronavirus, Feline Herpesvirus Infection, African Swine Fever, Raccoon Polyomavirus, and much more. Congratulations to all of the students and their faculty mentors.

Research and Education in Advanced Clinical Health (REACH) - Educate World Leaders in Vet Med (download pdf)
In support of our goal to train veterinary academic leaders (1.2.), we have launched the REACH program. This program provides 1 year of stipend support for veterinarians who have recently completed their 2 or 3-year clinical residency and are interested in pursuing a PhD or post-doctoral training in translational research.